The spine journal : official journal of the North American Spine Society
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Percutaneous laser disc decompression versus conventional microdiscectomy in sciatica: a randomized controlled trial.
Percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) is a minimally invasive treatment for lumbar disc herniation, with Food and Drug Administration approval since 1991. However, no randomized trial comparing PLDD to conventional treatment has been performed. ⋯ At 1 year, a strategy of PLDD, followed by surgery if needed, resulted in noninferior outcomes compared with surgery.